Shoe polisher



March 1967 s. L. GAINES SHOE 'POLISHER Filed on. 18, 1965 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. STANLEY L. GAINES ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,367,211 Patented Mar. 7, 1967 3,307,211 SHOE POLISHER Stanley L. Gaines, Wayland, Mass., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 497,313 Claims. (Cl. -4)

This invention relates to power driven shoes polishers, and more particularly to an improved shoe polisher for brushing and bufling shoes.

In a copending application of Edward H. Jacobs, application Serial No. 384,200, filed July 21, 1964, now Patent No. 3,251,085, and assigned to the same assignee of the present invention, there is disclosed an electric power driven shoe polisher including an elongated casing having an electric motor and suitable drive means positioned therein. The power drive means is arranged approximately perpendicular to the axis of the casing for rotating a generally cylindrical brush which is positioned at the end of the casing.

This invention is concerned with that type of powered shoe brush, and has as its general object the provision of a combined brush and bufling pad which may be easily manipulated and used without having the bufling pad interfere with the operation of the brush while the brush is being used, and without having the brush interfere with the bufiing pad while the bufling pad is used to buif the shoes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a low cost buffing pad arrangement which may be readily added to a power driven shoe polisher.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a bufling pad which may be conveniently replaced by a clean pad when the old pad becomes worn or too soiled for effective use.

In accordance with one aspect of my invention, a circular bufling pad is fixed to the outside surface of a powered rotary generally cylindrical shoe brush of the type mentioned above. The diameter of the circular buffing pad is somewhat less than the diameter of the generally cylindrical brush and the approximate center of said circular bufling pad is arranged to be in line with the axis of rotation of the cylindrical shoe brush. With this construction, when the cylindrical brush is rotated so that the bristle tips of the brush move against and are deflected by the shoes being polished the flexing or radially inward movement of the bristles is not great enough to permit the bufling pad to make contact with the shoes. Thus, the bufling pad does not interfere with the operation of the shoe brush. When it is desired to buff the shoes, the shoe polisher may be readily manipulated with a flick of the wrist approximately 90 from the shoe brushing position to a shoe buffing position. In the shoe bufling position, the outside surface of the circular bufiing pad is rotated against the shoes to be buffed and the bristles are spaced upwardly and away from the shoes so that they do not interfere with the buffing operation.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the shoe polisher showing the shoe brush in use;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shoe polisher showing the shoe bufling pad in use;

FIG. 3 is a view partly in cross section showing the improved shoe brush and bufiing pad;

FIG. 4 is a view partly in cross section of the shoe brush shown in FIG. 3 but having a modified arrangement for attaching the bufling pad to the shoe brush;

FIG. 5 is a left side elevational view of the modified buffing pad shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it can be observed that the shoe polisher includes an elongated casing 1 having a hand grip portion 2, an enlarged portion 3 which houses an electric motor (not shown), and a relatively narrow portion 4 which includes a drive arrangement 5 for rotating a shoe polishing implement 6.

With reference to FIG. 3 of the drawing, it can be seen that the shoe polishing implement includes a generally cylindrical plastic core 7 having two circular side surfaces 8 and 9, and a curved cylindrical surface 10. A plurality of sockets 11 extend radially inwardly from the cylindrical side surface 10 for receiving a plurality of tufts of bristles 12. As shown, all of the tufts of bristles are approximately the same length in order to form a generally cylindrical brush 13.

The plastic core 7 is also provided with an axial bore 14 for use in connecting the shoe polishing implement to the drive arrangement 5. As shown in FIG. 3, a shaft 15 is fixed in one end of the bore 14, and the shaft is provided with screw threads 16 for connection with the drive arrangement 5. It can be seen that the power drive means 5 has an axis of rotation approximately perpendicular to the major axis 17 of the elongated shoe polisher casing 1. With this construction, it can be appreciated that an operators shoes may be brushed by holding elongated casing of the shoe polisher in the position shown in FIG. 1 and swinging the entire shoe polisher in a kind of pendulous action so that the bristles of the brush are easily. moved into contact with the shoes to be polished. The arrangement thus far described is more particularly shown and disclosed in the above-indicated copending application which has been assigned to the same assignee as the instant invention.

In accordance with my invention, a bufling pad arrangement is uniquely combined with the cylindrical shoe brush construction described above. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a buffing pad 18 is fixed to the side surface 9 of the generally cylindrical plastic core 7 by means of a double sided pressure sensitive adhesive tape 19. With particular reference to FIG. 5, it can be appreciated that one side of the pressure sensitive adhesive tape 19 may be pressed onto the central portion of one side of the bufling pad 18 while the other side of the adhesive tape is protected by a suitable piece of flexible plastic or treated paper 20. When it is desired to connect the bufling pad 18 to the plastic core of the shoe brush, it is merely necessary to peel off the protective piece 20 and press the other side surface of the pressure sensitive adhesive tape 19 onto the side surface 9 of the plastic core 7. Should the bufling pad 18 become worn or too soiled for effective use, it may be conveniently replaced by a clean pad by simply pulling off the old one and pressing a new one into place.

The buffing pad 18 is preferably formed from urethane foam, although other materials, such as lambs wool, felt, or cloth could also be used. However, it has been found that these other materials do not improve the gloss on the shoes being polished as well as the urethane foam.

As shown, the buffing pad 18 is generally cylindrical in shape and includes two circular side surfaces 21 and 22 arranged generally perpendicular to ya curved cylindrical surface 23. It is significant that the diameter of the bufling pad is made to be somewhat less than the diameter of the generally cylindrical shoe brush, and as shown, the bufling pad is connected to the shoe brush with its approximate center arranged to be in line with the axis of rotation of the cylindrical brush 13. With this construction, as shown in the FIG. 1 brushing position, when the cylindrical brush 13 is rotated by the power drive means 5 the buffing pad 18 does not interfere with the operation of the shoe brush 13. The shoe polisher may be swung back and forth. in a kind of pendulous action to cause the bristle tips to move across and be deflected by the shoes being polished; however, the deflection or inward movement of the shoe brush bristles will not be great enough to permit the buffing pad to make contact with theshoes.

When it is desired to buff the shoes, the shoe polisher may be readily manipulated with a flick of the wrist approximately 90" as shown in FIG. 2. In this position, the bufling pad may be easily rotated on the shoes in order to obtain a high gloss. It can be appreciated that when the shoe polisher is held in the 90 position shown in FIG. 2 the bristles 13 are spaced upwardly from the bufiing pad 18 and do not interfere with the hufiing operation.

The bufiing pad 18 may also he attached to the outside of the shoe polisher brush 13 by the unique modified arrangement shown in FIG. 3. In accordance with this construction the inside circular surface of the buffing pad 18 is permanently fixed to the enlarged head 24 of a screw 25. A threaded cylindrical bushing 26 is positioned inside one end of the axial bore 14 and the bufiing pad may be readily attached to or removed from the cylindrical shoe brush by threading the screw into or out of the cylindrical bushing 2-6.

In view of the foregoing, it can be appreciated that my improved bufiing pad and shoe brush includes a minimum number of easily manufactured parts. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the parts merely include the buffing material itself and a small piece of pressure sensitive adhesive tape, and in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 the parts include the bufling pad and a screw.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the invention, and therefore, it is aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A shoe polisher comprising:

(a) a manually manipulable shoe polisher including a power drive means;

(b) a shoe polishing implement connected to said power drive means for rotation thereby;

(c) bristles extending radially outwardly from said shoe polishing implement to form a generally cylindrical shoe brush; and

(d) a circular buffing pad fixed to the outside of said shoe polishing implement so that said shoe polishing implement is physically located between said manually :manipulatable power drive means and said circular buffing pad, the approximate center of said circular buffing pad being in line with the axis of rotation of said shoe polishing implement, and the diameter of said circular buffing pad being somewhat less than the diameter of said generally cylindrical brush whereby when said cylindrical brush is rotated so that the bristle tips brush against and are deflected by the shoes being polished the flexing or radially inwardly movement of the bristles will not be so great as to permit the buffing pad to make contact with the shoes, said circular buffing pad having shoe buffing surfaces at its approximate center and extending radially outwardly therefrom.

2. A shoe polisher comprising:

(a) a manually manipulable shoe polisher casing;

(b) a power drive means having axis of rotation approximately perpendicular to the axis of said casing;

(c) a shoe polishing implement including a generally cylindrical plastic core connected to said power drive means for rotation thereby, said plastic core having a side surface;

(d) bristles extending radially outwardly from the plastic core of said shoe polishing implement to form a generally cylindrical shoe brush;

(6) a cylindrical buffing pad having a side surface;

(f) a double sided pressure sensitive adhesive tape, one side of said pressure sensitive adhesive tape being fixed to the side surface of said buffing pad and the other side surface of said pressure sensitive adhesive tape being pressed onto the side surface of said plastic core for fixing said shoe butting pad to said sho polishing implement.

3. A shoe polisher comprising:

(a) a manually manipul-able shoe polisher casing;

(b) a power drive means having an axis of rotation approximately perpendicular to the axis of said casing;

(c) a shoe polishing implement connected to said power drive means for rotation thereby, said shoe polishing implement including a generally cylindrical plastic core having axial bore;

(d) bristles extending radially outwardly from said shoe polishing implement to form a generally cylindrical shoe brush;

(e) a threaded bushing positioned inside one end of said axial bore;

(f) a cylindrical bufiing pad having a side surface;

(g) a screw having an enlarged head, said side surface of said buffing head being permanently fixed to the enlarged head of said screw whereby said screw may be threaded into the bushing in order to fix said bufiing pad to said shoe polishing implement.

4. A shoe polisher comprising:

(a) a manually manipulable shoe polisher casing;

(b) a power drive means having an axis of rotation approximately perpendicular to the axis of said casing;

(c) a shoe polishing implement connected to said power drive for rotation thereby;

(d) bristles extending radially outwardly from said shoe polishing implement, all said bristles being ap proximately the same length whereby to form a gen erally cylindrical shoe brush;

(e) a circular buifing pad fixed to the outside of said shoe polishing implement, said bufiing pad being formed from urethane foam; and

(f) the diameter of said circular buffing pad being somewhat less than the diameter of said generally cylindrical brush whereby when said cylindrical brush is rotated so that the bristle tips brush against and are deflected by the shoes being polished the flexing or radially inwardly movement of the bristles will not be so great as to permit the boiling pad to make con tact with the shoes.

5. A shoe polisher comprising:

(a) a manually manipulable elongated power handle including a shoe polishing implement drive means positioned at one end of said power handle and a motor for rotating said drive means positioned within said power handle;

(b) said drive means being located at one side of said power handle and having axis of rotation approximately perpendicular to the axis of said elongated power handle;

(c) a shoe polishing implement including a generally cylindrical plastic core having two circular side surfaces, a curved cylindrical surface, and an axial bore;

(d) a shaft fixed in one end of said axial bore and extending through one of said side surfaces for connection with said drive means;

(e) a plurality of sockets extending radially outwardly from the curved cylindrical surface of said plastic core;

(f) bristles positioned in said radially outwardly extending sockets, said bristles extending radially from the cylindrical surface of said core with the tips of said bristles all being at approximately the same distance from said axial bore whereby to form a generally cylindrical shoe brush;

(g) a generally cylindrical bufiing pad having two genseer/ m 5 erally circular side surfaces arranged generally perpendicular to a curved cylindrical surface;

(h) means for connecting said generally cylindrical buflin-g pad to the outside circular surface of said plastic core with the axis of said generally cylindrical pad in line with the axis of said bore;

(i) the diameter of said generally cylindrical bufling pad being somewhat less than the diameter of said generally cylindrical brush so that when said cylindrical brush is rotated so that the bristle tips brush against and are deflected by the shoes being polished, the flexing or radially inward movement of the bristles will not be so great as to permit the cylindrical surface of said buffing pad to make contact with the shoes;

(j) said shoe polisher power handle being readily manipulable so that it may be moved with a flick of the wrist approximately 90 from the shoe brushing 6 position to a shoe buffing position wherein the generally circular outside surface of said bufling pad is rotated against the shoes to be bufled.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,205,533 11/1916 Heaps et al 15-23 1,480,461 1/ 1924 Nutter 1523 1,518,143 12/1924 Goldman 1597.1

FOREIGN PATENTS 843,622 7/ 1952 Germany.

15 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SHOE POLISHER COMPRISING: (A) A MANUALLY MANIPULABLE SHOE POLISHER INCLUDING A POWER DRIVE MEANS; (B) A SHOE POLISHING IMPLEMENT CONNECTED TO SAID POWER DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATION THEREBY; (C) BRISTLES EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM SAID SHOE POLISHING IMPLEMENT TO FORM A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL SHOE BRUSH; AND (D) A CIRCULAR BUFFING PAD FIXED TO THE OUTSIDE OF SAID SHOE POLISHING IMPLEMENT SO THAT SAID SHOE POLISHING IMPLEMENT IS PHYSICALLY LOCATED BETWEEN SAID MANUALLY MANIPULATABLE POWER DRIVE MEANS AND SAID CIRCULAR BUFFING PAD, THE APPROXIMATE CENTER OF SAID CIRCULAR BUFFING PAD BEING IN LINE WITH THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID SHOE POLISHING IMPLEMENT, AND THE DIAMETER OF SAID CIRCULAR BUFFING PAD BEING SOMEWHAT LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL BRUSH WHEREBY WHEN SAID CYLINDRICAL BRUSH IS ROTATED SO THAT THE BRISTLE TIPS BRUSH AGAINST AND ARE DEFLECTED BY THE SHOES BEING POLISHED THE FLEXING OR RADIALLY INWARDLY MOVEMENT OF THE BRISTLES WILL NOT BE SO GREAT AS TO PERMIT THE BUFFING PAD TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE SHOES, SAID CIRCULAR BUFFING PAD HAVING SHOE BUFFING SURFACES AT ITS APPROXIMATE CENTER AND EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM. 